Will Stein spotlights how playing at Louisville led him to Kentucky

Former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein was introduced as Kentucky‘s newest head coach Wednesday afternoon at the Nutter Field House in Lexington.

During his introductory press conference, Stein was asked about how his relationship with Kentucky changed once he walked on to play quarterback at Louisville. Stein grew up a Kentucky football fan as a Louisville native, but played football at the rival University from 2008-2012.

“It obviously changed,” Stein said about his relationship with Kentucky after playing at Louisville. “I went to the rival, so there was four or five years of bad blood. That’s the competitor in me. Out of high school, I would have loved the opportunity to come here, but everything happens for a reason. I go to Louisville, and Steve Kragthorpe started me as a walk-on. Think about that. Like, who says I wouldn’t have had that opportunity here.”

“God rest his soul, I loved Coach Kragthorpe to death. He obviously was a really important person in my life, but when he was let go, Charlie Strong got the job. Guess who I meet? I meet Charlie and all those guys that coached me there, and he put me on scholarship. I went from a walk-on to a scholarship. My school’s paid for now and I won’t have student loans anymore.”

“The opportunities that came about because of not coming here the first time, I think, set me up. Because what happened? Charlie (Strong) goes to Texas, I meet Jeff Traylor at Texas, I get hired at UTSA by Jeff. It all works out. I go to Oregon and now I’m here at Kentucky, where I always wanted to be and play as a kid. And now coach. Firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Never take anything for granted and be where your feet are.”

Following his playing days, Stein stayed on with the program as a graduate assistant. As he detailed however, he followed former Louisville head coach Charlie Strong to Texas in 2015 and ultimately ended up on Jeff Traylor‘s UTSA staff in 2020. There, he worked his way up to becoming the program’s co-offensive coordinator before being poached by Oregon in 2023.

While at Oregon, Stein has excelled, working with college juggernaut quarterbacks in Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore. At age 36, he now has full reigns at the program he grew up rooting for. Without beginning his football journey at Louisville, Stein’s path could have gone completely different, and that could have included not eventually being named Mark Stoops‘ successor.